I’ve been playing around again. This time I’ve started an environmental portrait project. I never really got on with the smiley portrait; preferring something a little more gritty or sombre. It’s still evolving (that’s the way I like these things to work), but, at the moment, I’m aiming for people in ‘their’ environment. Mostly landscapes at the present (living in the Lake District does that to you), but inside environments are happening too.

The sitter usually benefits (or, at least, is more comfortable) from doing something with their hands. These are real people and may not always feel confident in front of the camera.

We’ll see how this one pans out, but I’m liking it so far :-)

The other elements that work with my idea are the set aspect ratio (16:9) and the cinematic colour grading. I’ve always been drawn to that type of imagery so it fits that gritty nature of my portrait series. The colours do vary, from the teal & orange look to the warmer colours. It depends on the subject and their environment. I do want the images to work together but I don’t want a formulaic constraint to them. I don’t mind that the sitter is on the left or the right of the shot for example.